You could be on your way to the doctor hoping to figure out why you haven’t been able to conceive even though you’ve been trying for a while. Perhaps it feels easier to go on in the bliss of ignorance for a little longer. You’ll be left with no reason to keep putting off that first infertility consultation if you have an idea of what to expect, so here it is.
This is what the specialist will want to know.
- As much as you tried to forget those chaotic teenage years, you’ll need to try and recall when you started puberty, and the ladies will need to figure out when their periods started. If you started puberty very late or very early it could be an indication of a problem.
- Any health issues you have at the moment or that you have had previously could be significant. That includes childhood illnesses like diabetes, acne, mumps – everything! The condition itself or even the medication for the illness could impact your fertility negatively.
- Any surgery? Tooth extractions, appendectomy, tonsillectomy – again, anything!
- Any chronic medication (prescribed or over-the-counter)? Ever had chronic medication previously? Try to remember any vitamins or supplements as well.
- When was your first sexual experience? How many sexual partners have you been with? Ever been infected with any STDs? STDs may cause infertility and when girls become sexually active before 18 years of age their cervix health can also be affected.
For the ladies:
- Women only: How is your menstrual cycle? Regular or irregular? Long or short? Quite heavy or quite light bleeding? Severe cramps?
- How often do you have sexual intercourse? Too many or too few can both be problematic.
- How does your intercourse correlate with the lady’s cycle? You must have sex at the appropriate time of the month to conceive.
- Have you become pregnant in the past? This may sound like an odd question considering that you are there to find out about difficulties getting pregnant, but many couples battle to get pregnant after having had one child already. If you have had many miscarriages previously then at least you know that conception is possible, but you have to work on maintaining the pregnancy.
- What intimacy enhancing products (i.e. vibrators or lubricant) do you use? (If any.) Some lubricants are bad for sperm – hence the awkward questions.
- Do you experience any problems in sexual intercourse? Erectile problems? Natural lubrication problems? Frigidity or impotence? Discomfort or pain? Nothing is off limits! Everything must be revealed if you would like an accurate diagnosis.
You might not be feeling too secure after such a grilling, but your specialist will also want to ask how you are doing psychologically. Try to make sure that you have shared all this information with your partner before you arrive at the specialist. Discovering your partner’s dodgy past for the first time in a doctor’s room is not helpful to emotional stability!
Your doctor will probably also do a thorough physical check up, which includes an internal for the ladies. It might feel like lots to deal with all at one time, but it’s helpful to try and recall that the doctor only wants to help, and that internal exams are part of the process. Trust me, when you are in labor one day you’ll be begging for an internal so you can get an idea of how much longer you have to go!
Once he (or she) has given you a thorough once over you may need some infertility tests. This may include tests to check for STDs, ultrasound scanning, blood tests, semen analysis for the man and a pap smear for the woman. Ladies could also require a hysterosalpingogram or laparoscopy to verify any structural difficulties.
That wasn’t too terrible was it? It was? I realize that having an practical stranger ask you intimate facts about your sexual and medical life story is quite an ordeal, not to mention the various pokings and proddings as well. Just keep remembering what your goal is – a baby of your own! That could help bring things into perspective.
Here is more information on Infertility Costs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.
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